As Reynaldo Guerra rides his horse along the Trinity River levee on a cloudy Saturday afternoon, the father of two says he “sees the future” — a new white bridge next to the downtown skyline.

Guerra knows the city has many plans to develop the river land. And that brings opportunity for him and his neighbors.

“At times, I think I wouldn’t like that,” Reynaldo said of the plans to transform the land he and his family love. “But that’s how the city grows, and it’s good for everybody.”

Dallas has long envisioned a park along the river, with lakes, a horse park, trails and athletic fields. For now, the Guerra family enjoys the land and the levees the way they are, said Reynaldo’s wife, Ruth.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, glancing at the vast stretch of natural green space.

The Guerra family keeps two of its several horses on its half-acre piece of land in West Dallas. Ruth Guerra said she and her husband work a lot — he as a subcontractor installing floors, she at a local boiler company. Almost any free time they have is spent with their horses in Dallas or the others on a ranch in Cooper, north of Sulphur Springs.

“I want my kids to learn” to ride, the father said in Spanish. “It’s important to me and my wife that they know this.”

Juan, 10, and his sister, Madeleine, 9, have grown up with horses. They mount their horses with ease, despite the size of the animals.

Before they ride, the siblings dress in their cowboy outfits, complete with boots, hats and leather chaps.

Originally from Mexico, Ruth Guerra has lived in the United States since she was 2. She said she has felt a connection with horses as long as she can remember.

“My father was a ranch hand,” she said. “I just know I’ve always loved horses.”

When she married her husband, who arrived from Mexico as a teenager, the two discovered their mutual love for horses and decided to buy a few. Some are in Mexico. Reynaldo Guerra at one time planned to move back, but “she never wanted to, I guess,” he said. So they settled in West Dallas, where land was cheap and there was enough room to keep a house and some horses.

The opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge symbolized to many dynamic growth, something the city strives for. The ceremonial opening of the bridge this month represented an ambition to connect West Dallas to downtown, to make the whole area more vibrant and open to visitors.

“The city has grown so much,” Reynaldo said. In the old days, “a lot of people around here had horses.”

There are still a few, the couple said. They sometimes see other riders on weekends and evenings. Some of them are Reynaldo’s riding buddies, though he doesn’t know their names. They just enjoy the land together and feel connected through their horses. “It’s what the city used to be,” Ruth said.

“It seems that the city is pushing those of us who like all this space out,” Reynaldo said. “It’s not what I prefer, but at least everyone benefits from the growth a little.”

The couple agreed that the development of parks and business in West Dallas would create more work for them and their neighbors. That is why, decades ago, the husband left his parents in Mexico — to work.

As he guided his children along the river’s course, he said that for now, the land is what he feels connected to. He and his children like to see foxes and coyotes living near the levees. But maybe one day, they’ll realize their dream of owning a ranch in Texas, Ruth said.

“So, as long as they let us,” he said, “we’ll be here, riding our horses.”

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